Improvement in wrenches



J. A. DODGE.

WRENCH.

110.188.6051. Patented March 20,1877.

[72 F672 for 'Wv inesses.

HER. WASHINGTON u G UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFIGEO JOHN A; DODGE, OF BBIDGETOWN, NOVA SCOTIA.

lMPROVEMhNT IN WRENCHES.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 88,605, dated March 20, 1877; application filed November 21, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, JonN A. DODGE, ot' Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, at present residing at Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification:

In this wrench two movable jaws are employed, one of which embraces both the end of the handle and the other jaw, and is pivoted to such handle, the second named jaw sliding within or upon the first, and being provided on its upper side with a toothed rack or series of'teeth, which engage a similar rack formed upon a portion of the under edge of the handle, the first named or pivotal jaw serving not only to throw the slidingjaw into or out of connection with the teeth'of the handle, but to efi'ect' a variation in the space between the two jaws when the sliding jaw is in connection with the handle, and thus render the instrument self-adapting to objects of various sizes.

The drawings accompanying this specification represent, in Figure 1 a longitudinal section, in Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a cross-section, of a Wrench embodying my invention.

In these drawings, Arepresents the handle of my wrench, upon a portion of the lower edge of the front end of which I form a rack of teeth, a. a, &c. B represents the outer or primary jaw, which is formed with ears b b, which straddle .theend of the handle, and are pivoted to the latter by a pin, 0, in such manner that the jaw is free to turn upon its pivot about the end of the handle. The secondary or inner jaw of the wrench is shown at G, as forming part of a bar, D, uponthe upper side of which bar is created a rack or series of teeth, 01 d, &c these teeth corresponding in size and shape of those of the handle, and serving to interlock the latter, and-prevent slipping of the jaw upon the handle, the bar D being susceptible of sliding movementsbetween the ears I) b of the jaw B.

It will be seen that when the parts are in working position no sliding movement ofjaw 0 upon the handle can take place, consequently as the jaw B is turned upon its fulcrum it must recede from the jaw O, and increase t-hc distance between the two, and thereby adapt the instrument to objects of various sizes.

When it becomes necessary to efl'ect great changes in the space between the two jaws, greater than that permitted by the automatic movement before described, the jaw B (and with it the jaw O) is turned upon its pivot until the teeth of the jaw O are out of engagement with the teeth ot'the handle. The slidingjaw 0 may then be moved upon the jaw B the required distance, and when the two are turned back the former becomes locked to the handle, as before stated.

A spring, 6, is secured to the top of the bandie, and bears at its free end upon the upper side of the jaw B, to prevent slipping and misplacement of the latter.

it will be seen that the only movement necessary to adapt the wrench to objects varying considerably in size is to turn the jaw B upon its pivot until it has receded from the jaw O to such an extent that the intervening space is greater than the object to be siezed, when a downward movement of the handle crowds the two jaws together tightly upon such object.

My wrench is equally available as a monkey-wreneh or as a pipe-wrench, and will be found very efi'ective as either.

I claim- The combination of the handle, thejaw pivoted thereto, the spring for holding in place the pivoted jaw, and the sliding jaw supported and adjustable in the pivoted jaw, and provided on its inner edge with teeth which engage teeth on the handle, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

JOHN ALBERT DODGE.

Witnesses:

J AS. G. MARTYN, W. E. BOARDMAN. 

